Nipple piercing needle for nurseries



I Au g.'l4, 1945. R s-roug ETAL 2,382,032

NIPPLE PIERGING NEEDLE FOR NURSERIES Filed Aug. 1, 1944 IN VEN TOR$ Patented Aug. 14, 1945 NIPPLE PIERCING NEEDLE FOR NURSERIES Roslyn Stone and Arthur R. Levine, New York, N. Y.

Application'August 1, 1944, Serial No. 547,651

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a nursery accessory and has particular reference to a needle instrument for burning holes in the rubber nipple of a babys bottle. Babies nursing milk bottles are closed with rubber nipples provided with a number of very fine holes for the passage of the milk. It frequently happens that for one reason or another the nipple has not been properly pierced or that the holes become clogged so that they cannot be cleaned or even conveniently discovered. It also is a fact that although a nipple may be properly pierced in the course of manufacture, physicians find it necessary to prescribe a greater flow of milk than can ordinarily be obtained.

In such cases it is the custom of the nurse to attempt to enlarge the holes in the nipple by means of a heated needle. It is quite obvious that an ordinary heated needle is an inefiicient and dangerous implement to use for this purpose. If the needle is heated sufllciently to burn a larger hole in the nipple, the entire needle becomestoo hot to handle. The result is that as soon as the heat is felt in the fingers holding the needle, the latter is withdrawn from the heat and is then too cold to be used because it is necessary to search carefully to find the holes in the nipple.

It is the object of this invention to provide a nipple piercing needle for use in nurseries so constructed that it may be used with safety and so that the needle will retain the heat sufliciently long to be effective.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention in a perspective view of the implement.

The nursery needle comprises a needle shank 2 having its one end formed into a needle point 4. At the other end an insulating handle I is secured to the shank. Upon the latter is provided a heat retaining body 3, preferably of the same.

material as the shank. The body 3 is spaced closer to the needle point 4 than to the handle I so that when the body and the needle point 4 are heated in a flame, the heat will be retained, after removal from the flame, sufiiciently long to enable the user to burn a hole in the nipple to the extent desired. At the same time the shank is so long that but little if any heat will pass to the handle I. The latter itself serves as an insulating protection for the hand.

In use the needle 4 and the body 3 are held in a flame to be heated. The shank is long enough to support the implement upon the edge of a gas burner or other source of heat so that the implement need not be held while it is being heated. The body 3is a feature of the construction and is particularly useful in serving to retain the heat at the needle end long enough to enable the user to burn a hole in the nipple. The insertion of an insufliciently heated needle merely stretches the rubber, but does not enlarge the hole.

It will be clear from the foregoing description and from the drawing that the tool disclosed herein is intended to be used on the nipple without removing the nipple from the bottle. Often the insufiiciency of the hole in the nipple is not discovered until the nipple'is in actual use. If the holes require enlargement, the tool may at once be heated over an open flame and used with complete safety for piercing the nipple. This is an obvious practical advantage since the tool is intended for use in homes.

We claim: A nursery accessory tool for burning holes in nursery bottle nipples without removing the nipple from the bottle, said tool being adapted to be placed over an open flame for heating the tool before applying it to the nipple, said tool comprising a straight metal shank formed at its one end with a needle portion axially of the shank, said needle portion being adapted for piercing a hole in the nipple, a heat retaining body on said shankat the point where the needle portion extends from the shank, an insulating handle on said shank at its opposite end, a substantial distance from said heat retaining body, for manipulating the tool to heat it and for inserting the heated tool in the nipple to burn a hole therein, whereby when said needle portion and heat retaining body are heated and removed from the source of heat for piercing the nipple immediately thereafter, the needle point will remain heated long enough for the burning of the hole, said insulating handle serving to protect the hand of the user during the burning operation and for manipulating the tool.

ROSLYN STONE. ARTHUR. R. LEVINE. 

